The Key to Her Heart
by Puck's Angel
Summary: Will Schuester sees something special between Puck and Rachel.  What's he going to do about it?
1. Chapter 1

A.N. hey everyone! I was so happy to see that a lot of you read and reviewed my last one-shot. Your kind words humble and flatter me. Well, my Puckleberry mind was at it again and this time, a multi-chapter fic came out. The whole story is written, so you won't have to wait too long for updates. I hope you enjoy this!

Disclaimer: I'm not rich, otherwise I'd buy the rights to Glee and take over for RIB.

This story, as well as my last one is dedicated to my sister from another mister, Justine whose pure shipper heart and flailing keep the fire of my inspiration going. Love you, hun!

* * *

Will Schuester couldn't believe what he was seeing. Artie was walking. As much as the faculty response had lifted the glee kids' spirits, this had done wonders for their morale. Whoever made all this happen would be an honorary member of New Directions for life. Although he was inspired by the generous gift to Artie, he still felt a pang of depression come over him when he realized that it all didn't change the fact that he'd be going home to an empty apartment. Everyone else had plans for the holidays, and he would probably spend the break holed up in his apartment, avoiding all the happy holiday revelers.

He got home, expecting to grab a beer, throw on a DVD, order takeout and ride out the wave of excitement over Artie's miracle before letting the depression fully sink in. His talk with the kids about "Gift of the Magi" just made him realize how much he had become that person he was talking about, the one that would give almost anything to view Christmas the way that his five year old self did.

He didn't think that he would ever cease to be amazed by the enigma that is Sue Sylvester. She spent about 90% of her time doing her best to make his life a living hell, but the other 10%, she was actually a decent human being…some may even mistake her as a good human being if they didn't know her better. Somehow Sue's grinch heart had grown and found a way to get in touch with the remote parts of her that were still human.

After the kids were done decorating the tree, they slowly started to make their way out and back home to their families seeing as how it was Christmas Eve and all. He thanked them for taking the time and making his Christmas a little brighter and told them to enjoy their two weeks off from school.

Rachel and Puck were the only ones who remained. Puck was on the couch, grape soda in hand and was mindlessly flipping through channels waiting for something to compel him to stop. Rachel was busy tidying up in the kitchen and was working on cleaning up the popcorn that had been thrown around during the festivities. She kept shooting glances Puck's way and sighing loudly every now and then in hope that he would get up and help her out. Puck was being a typical guy and was completely focused on the classic movie, "A Christmas Story" blatantly ignoring Rachel's passive-aggressive cues.

"Noah, that movie is on every year and I know you've seen it and probably have it memorized like everyone else in America, so will you get up off your butt and come help me clean this up? The sooner I get this done, the sooner we can get out of here."

Puck got up off the couch and started to help, basically just following Rachel around with a garbage bag while she picked everything up off the ground. Will couldn't believe his eyes and ears. The only time he knew that Puck responded to Noah was when he didn't have a choice about it, like when he was in trouble. And Rachel was one of the bossiest and most abrasive people he knew which is why people tended to tune her out and resisted getting dragged into her plans. So why he would respond to her calling him Noah was very intriguing to him and he made a mental note to watch them more closely and see what made this relationship so special.

When they were finally done cleaning they joined him in front of the TV.

"I appreciate you kids staying and cleaning up, but don't you have to get back home to your own families for your holiday celebrations?"

Rachel laughed. "I think you're forgetting, despite the fact that we remind you regularly, that we're Jewish and we don't celebrate Christmas Eve like the other kids do. I actually talked to my dads earlier and they're both working late tonight."

"Yeah, my mom is doing a double today since she gets paid extra for working on the holiday that no one wants to work on. My sister always gets invited to sleep over at her non-Jewish friends' houses for Christmas. I guess she likes seeing how the other half lives and likes to rub it in their faces that she gets 8 days of presents, while they only get 1."

"So did either of you get anything interesting for Hanukkah this year?"

Rachel dove straight into her answer. "Well, every year my dads spoil me. I got tickets to a Broadway show, a new cell phone, a bunch of gift certificates to go shopping, and a few other small gifts. How about you, Noah?"

"Things have always been tight since my dad took off, so every year I tell my mom to just get me cheap gifts to open every day with my sister, but to really do it up for her, since she's still young and deserves to have that magical feeling. I guess it's so that she doesn't feel the pain of his absence as badly as my mother and I do."

Will was stunned. Ever since he joined glee, he had known that Puck wasn't nearly as bad as people thought he was, and there were times when he felt bad about the rap that people gave him. Will thought it a shame that he was the only one who knew that Quinn made the Glist and that everyone else still assumed it was Puck. The club also didn't appreciate how far he'd come in terms of stepping up as a leader. He had a natural charisma and charm that drew people in and made it easy to get swept up in his performances, and he was the reason they were even able to compete at Sectionals.

He thought back to the day that Beth was born and how Puck came out of the delivery room, announced to the group that Quinn and the baby were both fine, but then broke down in Will's embrace over the pain of having Beth wrenched from his arms and ripped from his heart. Everyone else seemed to have sided with Finn and Quinn on the matter, and for the first time, Will saw that it wasn't about sides because Puck hurt just as much as (if not more than) Finn and Quinn.

After summer break, Puck seemed different. Not quite the huge theatrical personality that he was the first two years of high school, he just sort of faded into the background, still obviously reeling from the pain. He got into trouble and thrown into juvie, and while everyone seemed to write him off as a screw-up, Will knew that there was a lot more going on than he realized. He came back from juvie hell-bent on living up to his badass image, but something funny happened and he changed course and really came through for the club.

Will also thought about Rachel's journey in the last year. She definitely has her battle scars, just like Puck. Shelby forced her way into her daughter's life only to bolt at the first sign of things becoming real. She's also had her roller coaster with boyfriends and heartache. If any two kids in glee deserved a break it was Puck and Rachel, but it seemed as though people couldn't quite seem to get past their larger than life personalities.

Puck broke into his thoughts with a question.

"Hey Mr. Schue…are you bringing these gifts to those kids tomorrow?"

"Yeah, what better way to spend Christmas Day than playing Santa?"

"Would you mind if I went with you? It would mean a lot to me."

"That would be great Puck."

Rachel was quite surprised that he would offer to do something so nice and selfless.

"Can I go too Mr. Schue?"

"Sure, Rachel the more the merrier. It's really awesome of you guys to volunteer to do this. Since your parents aren't home tonight, why don't you two stay for dinner? We can order some Chinese. My treat."

Rachel was just going to go home and eat leftovers, so she happily accepted. "Just make sure that we order some vegetarian dishes."

Puck was happy to not have to eat frozen pizza tonight. "As long as I get my sweet and sour pork, I don't care what rabbit food you order."

"I can't believe you eat pork Noah. You know we're not supposed to."

"Well, Berry, if you bothered to read the rest of the Bible, you'd know that my man J-money basically said that all those rules didn't matter anymore. It's not what goes into a man that defiles him, it's what comes out."

Will and Rachel's mouths dropped wide open as they stared at him. Will remembered that Puck made a lot of sense when he was yelling at Finn about his newfound faith in Jesus. Plus, he had never seen that look on Rachel's face. Spending time with Puck away from school felt like he was really being taught not to judge a book by its cover. "Okay Puck, sweet and sour pork for you, and Mongolian beef for me. Rachel, let me go get the menu so you can pick out what you want and then we'll call the place."

The rest of the night was pretty enjoyable. Puck and Rachel were very different than people assumed they were and there was something special about their interaction that made Will very curious.

The next morning, Rachel showed up very promptly and Puck came a few minutes later. He had a cup tray with 3 coffee cups and a bag which Rachel noticed was from her favorite Jewish bakery.

"I figured it would be good for us to start with a little something. I picked up some cinnamon raisin challah from the bakery and some coffee."

"Oh Noah, that's my favorite! It was so thoughtful of you to bring that." She sipped her coffee and realized that it was a chai latte, also her favorite. She looked up at him with questioning eyes.

He smirked and looked very proud of himself. "They told me it was your favorite when I was ordering. I kinda figured you'd be a regular at that place too. I got you a regular coffee, Mr. Schue."

"Thanks Puck. This bread is amazing."

Rachel cut a few slices and looked around the kitchen. "It's even better if you toast it. And you can make some really awesome French toast with whatever's left."

They left for the homeless shelter after they were satisfied and warmed up.

Will was a bit worried about how they would interact with the kids, but Puck took to the kids like a fish took to water. He spent tons of personal time with each kid that wanted to, and personally assembled toys and taught them how to use them properly. Rachel was a little bit uncomfortable with the kids at first, but she took her cues from Puck and had those kids comfortable with her in no time at all. It really was a shame that they couldn't spend the whole day with those kids.

Mr. Schue dropped Rachel off on their way back to his apartment, where Puck left his truck, and he took advantage of their time alone. "Puck, you've really amazed me these last couple of weeks…well this last year actually. I've seen you go from an arrogant, insensitive, immature boy to a responsible, caring friend and leader in the glee club. I know that Finn has been the "official" leader, but you're the one who really comes through in the clutch for us. You found a way to make the bake sale for Artie a success, you're the first one to defend the club when we're under attack, and you really stepped up in getting Lauren to join the club so we could compete in Sectionals. I know I haven't said it nearly enough, but thank you and I'm proud of the man you're becoming."

Noah was really touched by his words. "Thank you. Glee is where I get to showcase the best part of me and it feels good."

"Well, I have another request of you if you don't mind."

"Sure. What can I do?"

"I know that Rachel is taking her breakup with Finn especially hard. She's been pretty unbearable away from him, but I've noticed that she's different around you. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but you seem to have a good effect on her, so would you do me a favor and just be a friend to her? She seems to be short on friends at the moment, and I think you'd do a good job of keeping her reined in."

Puck thought that it was going to be a tough request, but this was a piece of cake. He put on a sly smile "Sure Mr. S. I can handle Berry, no problem."


	2. Chapter 2

A.N. Thanks to everyone who reviewed/alerted this story. Since you seemed eager for an update, here it is!

* * *

The rest of break was pretty uneventful. Puck called and texted Rachel periodically to see how she was doing and they ended up hanging out a few times. She was actually fun when not under the pressure of having to perform and be the best. It would be interesting to see how things changed when they went back to school and she'd have to see Finn.

He was right. Rachel went back to her old self when school started again and was around Finn again. She turned into this weepy and weak girl whose life revolved around a boy. He could barely stomach these kinds of things on TV and in movies and it was even worse seeing it up close. One day after school, she asked him to meet her in the choir room.

She was sitting at the piano when he walked in. "'Sup Berry?"

"That is not a proper greeting Noah. How about going with "hi" or "hello" or even properly enunciating "What's up?""

So she was fierce Berry today. "How about you just chill and don't jump down my throat for being a normal teenager? What's wrong, did something happen?"

"I had an encounter with Finn today. He's still not receptive to my apologies. I don't know how else to get through to him, but then I remembered that I could probably get Mr. Schue to let me sing to him and I think I may have found the perfect song, but I wanted to run it by you first."

"Sure. What song is it?"

"It's called 'Tell Me' by Lea Salonga. She's a Broadway star from the Philippines. She's been in Les Mis, played the lead in Miss Saigon, and she was also the singing voice for Princess Jasmine in Aladdin and for Mulan…"

"I don't need her biography…why don't you just sing the song?"

She got up and went to the front of the room. The music started and she started singing.

_There are nights _

_When I can't help but cry_

_And I wonder why _

_You had to leave me_

_Why did it have to end so soon_

_When you said that you would never leave me_

_Tell me _

_Where did I go wrong_

_What did I do to make you change_

_Your mind completely_

_When I thought_

_This love would never end_

_But if this love's not ours to have_

_I'll let it go with your goodbye_

There was an instrumental, but Puck couldn't stomach anymore so he cut her off.

"Rachel, as always you sang that perfectly, but it's completely the wrong song."

"How am I supposed to get him back if I don't admit to being wrong? I was wrong to cheat on him."

Puck's anger was rising up in him. "You're acting like this is all your fault! Okay, so we made out when you two were still technically together, but that never would have happened if he hadn't lied to you about sleeping with Santana. He's not completely blameless. You've been bending over backwards for him since the beginning of this school year. Remember when you dressed like Britney Spears and he freaked out about it? Well, you looked hot and I've never seen you more confident in yourself. Then you went back just because of his lame insecurity and sang him a song as an apology? What happened to the fiery, ambitious, take-no-prisoners Rachel Berry that I knew? The one whose dreams were bigger than Lima, bigger than a boy? You're the only person in this club that I know for sure is going to be a star and you're letting him block your radiance."

Rachel was completely taken aback by his outburst. She had no idea that he saw her that way, but she had to admit that he was right. She hadn't really felt like herself since she started dating Finn. She didn't want to admit to him that he was right though so she rushed out of the room.

Puck sat there, knowing that he probably went too far and was kicking himself for not being able to control his anger. He decided to let off some steam and cool down, so he sat at the piano and was lazily playing when she came bursting back into the room. "I need you to do this number with me to make Finn jealous."

That was a complete turnaround from the weak and weepy girl that was singing before. Not exactly what he was hoping for, but at least she was looking a lot more like the girl he remembered. He was a bit stunned and to be honest a bit turned on by this fiery side of her personality, but as long as she wasn't taking the blame anymore and was being proactive, he could live with that. Besides, he's been wanting to sing with her ever since she encouraged him to step up and perform a solo in glee club. He owed her for pushing him to do that. "What did you have in mind?"

So their duet was a success…sort of. Well, if you call an almost brawl a success. Musically, the number was a success. Will was very impressed with their musical chemistry and there was something intangible about their performance that made it gold. Their chemistry extended well past the musical aspect as well. Even Quinn, who at best tolerated both Puck and Rachel was entranced by their performance. If they could turn her into a believer then he believed that anything was possible.

Puck came into his office after all the dust had settled. "I'm sorry things got so out of hand. I don't know…I just lost it. I was feeling really good after that duet, and then Azimio had to go ahead and open his big fat mouth." Will could see that he was still very keyed up about it.

"It's okay Puck. No one was hurt and we all had to get out all that negative energy. What really surprised me was Rachel. She doesn't normally blow up like that."

"Yeah, well it surprised me too. At least now I know never to really piss her off. She's pretty fierce."

"I noticed that Finn was a bit uncomfortable about the whole thing. Is everything okay with you two?"

Puck hesitated. He knew that Mr. Schue probably wouldn't be happy that the whole duet was designed to make Finn jealous. He told him the whole story about how the duet came to be. "So what do you think I should do? It's pretty clear that the way things are, things are not going to get better with the football players and the glee kids."

"Well, even the football players can tell that you're not truly united as a club. You seem to command the attention of both groups. The key to this is you, Puck. Finn won't let it sit too well if you take over though, 'cuz he likes being the leader. Do you think you could team up with him to unite both clubs? That way he won't feel threatened by you." Will knew that Finn was already insecure about himself around Puck because people naturally gravitated towards him, so this was the best way to get both teams to come together.

"Don't worry about it. I got this." And he left to go find Finn.

Puck definitely took care of it because things were actually going well with the football players. They even looked like they were starting to have fun onstage. For the first time, in a long while the football team was actually united.

Of course the honeymoon would only last about a day or two. The boys are still too wrapped up in their images to put aside the teasing that comes with being in glee. Rachel and the girls managed to save the day by joining the team.

Puck had an uneasy feeling before the game. Part of him was really happy that they still got to play, but another part of him was worried sick that one of the girls might get hurt. Rachel was the smallest of them all and the uniform looked like it swallowed her. He had to say something to her before this started. He wanted to make absolutely sure she knew what she was getting into.

"Are you ready for this?"

She struggled a little to get the mouthpiece out of her mouth. "Let's kick some ass!"

The prim and proper Rachel Berry swearing? Hell yeah, that was hot. It also gave him the boost he needed to get through this game.

The game was going about how they expected. The scare of Tina getting tackled just killed any positive mojo that they had going for them. Finn went off to get the cheerleaders back, which meant that Puck was left with the task of getting the players to come back. How the hell was he going to do that? The last time he talked to them on his own he got a beating and ended up locked in a port-a-potty. He also remembered the look on Rachel's face when she realized that Finn was going after Quinn. His heart broke for her a little bit, but he knew that he didn't want to see her get hurt, which was very likely if she kept playing, 'cuz Rachel Berry could only lay down and let life happen around her for so long before she felt compelled to do something. He couldn't let that happen, now was the time to step up and be a man.

Rachel couldn't believe that Finn would leave Puck hanging like that. The cheerleaders weren't even essential to the game. She felt in her heart that Finn was moving further and further away from her and towards Quinn. She saw Puck off by himself in the players' tunnel, talking to himself, obviously prepping for his big speech with the football players and she felt bad for him. She knew that the last time he tried to reason with them, they ended up beating him and locking him up. She followed a little ways behind him because she did not want him to end up stranded somewhere again.

She stood just outside the locker room because she was curious about how he was going to pull this off. Of course they were making fun of him and being sarcastic. He was one of the brave ones who doesn't care about his image like they do. Here we go, let's see what he says…

"I don't want to hear it from any of you. You're all a bunch of cowards. Coward losers!"

Rachel just listened…she didn't dare speak, so she just let all the dialogue go on in her mind. _Oh wow Noah, you're not holding back. I hope they don't get violent with him for calling them cowards and losers._

"You know, this is it. This is the moment of our lives. This is the one we can actually look back and tell our children about. This is our moment to actually win something and you guys are sitting in the damn stands! You're so afraid of being called geeks or losers or gay that you settle for being nothing. Well, we still have a whole half to play and we can win this guys, I know it."

_Rachel was speechless. His speech was perfect and right on the money. He's not letting those jocks push him around. Noah is so much better than those Neanderthals anyway._

"She will if you come out and perform at the half time show."

_It worked! She should have known better than to doubt that he could pull this off. _

"Fine, Karofsky's out whatever. But the rest of you need to get in your zombie makeup and hit the field, tout suite! Come on, let's go!"

_All right, that's my cue to go…time for some zombie makeup._

They did it! They won the game…everyone in the stands could hardly believe it at first, but then the crowd erupted into hysterics. Of course, everyone was focused on Finn 'cuz he scored the winning touchdown. Rachel looked around because in her mind Noah was the real unsung hero of this game. She found him on the outskirts of the huge crowd on the football field. "Noah, I heard your speech to the football players. Don't get mad at me...I followed you to the locker room because I was afraid you might get beat up again and left out in the middle of nowhere. You were brilliant. I had no idea you were so impassioned. You deserve all the praise here tonight. You're MVP in my book." She smiled and gave him a hug.

He hugged her back, but was speechless. He wanted to tell her that he did it for her. So that she didn't have to risk herself anymore, but he knew that it would cause a lot of trouble if he did, so he just watched her walk back towards the others to celebrate.

Will saw that little exchange and smiled to himself. He knew the road ahead of them wouldn't be easy, but it would be so rewarding and beneficial for them.


	3. Chapter 3

A.N. Second to the last chapter! It's shorter than the rest and a little bit of a filler, but it sets up the last chapter pretty nicely. Sundays are usually busy for me so I'll post this one now and the last one this afternoon when I get a break.

cctejadaaa - I love Lea Salonga too. I'm Filipino, so I grew up hearing her music. For those of you who don't know her music you should definitely check her out on youtube. Ever since they brought Charice on, I've been wanting them to bring Lea onto the show too maybe as Sunshine's mom or even Blaine's mom (since Darren is half-Filipino and she adores him).

* * *

Valentine's Day came and there were a few setbacks on the road to Puckleberry. Will noticed that Puck was now concentrating on Lauren Zizes…which made him scratch his head a little bit. Rachel also seemed to be on a tear to get Finn back. She did give Puck a high five after he sang to Lauren, so at least he knew they were still friends. Her expressions during the song were priceless though.

Finn is definitely leaning towards Quinn now, so I hope that Rachel finally moves on from him. This isn't healthy. Puck and Lauren make absolutely no sense…unless he's trying to keep his distance. Lauren is a convenient distraction for him. He sees the way that Puck looks at Rachel. The two of them share something special. They just need to realize it.

The next week wasn't much better, but at least Rachel's focusing on herself. It was a bit disconcerting to see all these girls dressed exactly like her though, but he did feel bad that they were giving Brittany all the credit. Brittany, the girl who thought a ballad was a male duck. He wished the kids could see past Rachel's abrasive attitude and see that she's right about an original song. No one backed her up, not even Puck, which surprised him.

As the club was leaving the choir room, he saw Puck run up to Finn.

"Hudson! Wait up."

"Yeah man, what's up?"

"You know that Berry is right. We need to really kick ass at Regionals. An original song is the way to do it."

"Well, I didn't see you raising your hand to support her."

"I didn't see yours either, frankenteen…you're the only one she'll listen to. You need to encourage her not to give up on the idea. I know she can make it epic."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea. I'm trying to let her move on from me. I don't want to give her another glimmer of false hope by being nice."

"Just pay her a compliment and emphasize that she should do it alone. That way you won't be stuck because of a misunderstanding. You're the captain, you have to do what's best for the group, even if they don't realize that letting Rachel do this is the best thing we could do."

"All right, man. I got this." Puck gave him a pat on the back as he turned to walk out of the choir room.

Will smiled to himself. He thought that Puck had given up on Rachel in favor of Lauren, but he knew deep down that he would always take care of her.

It was alcohol awareness week and the kids seemed to be more wild. He had heard about their party. He would have said something, but he heard that Puck and Rachel were the brains behind it. Normally, he'd have to come down on them for it, but it happened off campus and he was just glad that they were collaborating again because he really saw them as the glue that held the club together. Alone, they were hard to handle, but together they somehow made all the unapproachable aspects about each other disappear. Even though the party was not necessarily a good thing, he saw a change in the camaraderie of club. They all shared secrets about each other now and have seen each other at their highest high and lowest low. They were bonded in a great way and it couldn't have come at a better time because Regionals are right around the corner.

After the meeting about the pledges, Puck stuck around to talk to Mr. Schue. "Did you really mean it? Can we really call you if we slip up?"

"Of course Puck. I wasn't doing that to look good. I really mean it."

"It's just that I've never had an adult be nice to me just because. They usually want something or are trying to lull me into a false sense of security so that I'll slip up and they can catch me."

Will's heart broke once again. No wonder he acted like that in Figgins' office when they threatened to send him back to juvie. He really didn't have anyone watching out for him and caring for him the way a father should. His mom was always busy working so she probably had no idea what was going on in his life. "Puck, you can use that number if you just need to talk. You don't have to go out and get drunk to get my attention."

Puck's heart warmed at the sentiment. So this is what it would be like to have a dad…or at least a big brother type in my life. "Do you mind if I stick around and play for a bit?"

"Sure, no problem." I'll be in my office if you need me."

About 30 minutes later, Rachel came bursting through the choir room door. "Noah, I need to use the piano. I have so many ideas for a song running through my head and I need to get them down before I lose them."

"Slow down there turbo…can I ask what has inspired these ideas?"

"Well, you know that I kissed Blaine at the party. We went out on a date and had a great time and he thought maybe for a while that he might not be gay, so we kissed again just now in the coffee shop and it just confirmed that he was gay."

"So you basically dragged a guy over from gay town, kissed him and made him doubt his sexuality and then sent him back over? I don't remember your kissing being horrible, so he must be so gay that the alcohol weakened his defenses and confused him. It's nice to know that your determination and willpower have their limits." He couldn't control his laughter and it was making his whole body shake.

She hit him on the shoulder. "Noah! This is not funny, this is great song writing material!"

"Yeah, 'cuz what most people want to hear about is getting turned down by a gay guy. It's been done, Berry. They got 8 seasons of it from Will & Grace."

"What do you know about songwriting, Noah?"

"More than you do, Berry. Yeah, Finn told me about that song you wrote about your headband."

Rachel couldn't believe Finn told him about that. She was flustered and could feel her face getting hot so she turned on her heel and stomped out of the room.

Will poked his head out the door of his office. "What the heck is going on out here?"

"Don't worry Mr. Schue. It's all good." Puck smirked to himself. He knew that her she would get over her stubbornness eventually and come back because she wanted to kick some ass at Regionals, and who better to help her than the glee club am-badaass-ador?


	4. Chapter 4

A.N. - I finally got a break in my schedule so here is the final chapter of this story. Thanks to everyone who reviewed/alerted/favorited this story. I hope you enjoyed taking this little journey with me.

Claire - Thanks for pointing out about the song. I didn't mean to falsely give credit to Lea Salonga for that song, I just went with the version I felt that Rachel Berry, self-proclaimed Broadway afficionado, would be most familiar with.

I would also like to thank Jenny and Justine for being my unofficial betas on this story. You're the best and I love you both!

* * *

Holly Holliday was back! She really shook things up the last time she was here and as usual, she was making waves again. The kids really respond to her and she always seems to be able to bring them together. The newly reformed celibacy club was headed up by Emma and shock of all shocks, Rachel and Quinn were its only two members. As his mission of getting the glee kids more informed about the "intricacies of adult relationships" progressed, he noticed that Puck wasn't his normal badass self bragging about his sexual conquests. Emma told him that he even joined the celibacy club.

Rachel was utterly confused at Noah joining the celibacy club. Especially since he has been pretty vocal about wanting to get into Lauren's pants and "motorboating the twins." She still had no idea what that meant, but everyone else seemed to find it hilarious. "Are you lost Noah?"

Quinn piped in. "Yeah, you don't belong here, you're the biggest French whore of them all."

"Zizes and I were going to make a sex tape. I found out that making that tape would result in my arrest. I've hit rock bottom and I've come here to set myself straight."

Emma was ecstatic to have another member. "That's just awesome Noah and you're just in time, because tomorrow, the girls and I are going to perform a song for glee club extolling the benefits of celibacy."

Rachel looked particularly excited about this number, she couldn't seem to suppress her smile. If she was down with it, then he could get on board. "I'm down for that. Point of order, though. While three chicks and me is just a typical Saturday night in the Puckerman bedroom, it's not the best balance for singing. We need at least one more dude."

Rachel remembered about him bragging that his songwriting abilities far outweighed hers. He seemed to know about the balancing of voices for harmony and he played the guitar and piano. Maybe she didn't give him enough credit.

After the debacle that was "Afternoon Delight," Rachel was pleased to see that Noah not only stuck with the celibacy club, but that most of the glee kids joined as well. After the meeting, she asked him to stay behind to stack the chairs. She wanted to talk to him about writing a song for Regionals.

"Noah, I'm sorry that I stormed out on you last week. You're right, singing about losing a love that was never really yours to begin with was not great material for an original song. Would you be willing to help me so that we can kick ass at Regionals? I really want to win and go on to Nationals."

Puck was all prepared to gloat and give her a hard time about it, but there was something in her voice and her eyes. Her vulnerability…it was quite an endearing quality. She didn't show it all that much. Probably because she was afraid that people would take advantage of it. Somehow, she trusted him not to go too far. This wasn't just about winning a competition anymore, this was about proving herself to the other glee kids and showcasing her talent to the world. A star's radiance stems from the person's confidence and he was happy to help her get hers back because her light deserves to touch as many people as it can. Being in the presence of her radiance elevates his mood and confidence considerably.

"Rachel, you have plenty of experiences to draw from. People love drama. They love angst and heartbreak. I know that we have plenty of that in our pasts and even right now in our present lives. They love triumph over those things even more. You and me, we have a lot in common. We've gotten knocked down more than most people our age, but look at us, we're still here and we're still fighting to do and be better. Sure we make plenty of mistakes along the way, but the goal of life is not to get through it perfectly. There's no one handing grades out at the end. We just have to keep getting up until we get it right."

Rachel never felt more inspired than at that moment. She was so glad she swallowed her pride and asked for Noah's help. He was absolutely right about everything and the lyrics were flying into her head like crazy right now. "Let's get to the choir room, I have an idea for the perfect song." Before they left, she felt the need to apologize again. "Noah, I owe you an apology, I never should have blown you off like that last week."

"No worries Berry. One of these days you're going to shock me and actually listen to me the first time out."

She was glad he was such a good sport and didn't give up on her as easily as the others did. He put his arm out for her and escorted her to the choir room where they spent the rest of the afternoon writing their ticket to Nationals.

Rachel walked into the choir room next day with all the confidence in the world. "Get it Right" and "Loser Like Me" were amazing songs and they were going to blow the audience and judges away. It was easy for people of any age to relate to these songs, and people love rooting for the underdogs. She hit the club with the two songs with the help of the band and the club finally saw the light and got on board with it. Puck let her take all the credit. He actually made sure that each one of them was aware that she was right all along.

Will looked around and saw the club as a true team once again. He also saw the humility of Puck. He knew that he helped her. They came in and started composing the song yesterday afternoon. They were so focused that they didn't even notice that he was there the whole time. Here he was making sure that everyone showered her with praise. Suddenly, as if he was hit by a Mack truck, everything made sense to him. Puck was so completely in love with her. He's aware of it, but refuses to admit it because he wants to wait until she's in a good place and completely over Finn. They needed to get through Regionals first, but the second the competition was over, his new goal in life was to make sure that Rachel doesn't miss what's right in front of her.

New Directions blew away the competition. The judges loved that their music was original and that their dance moves were innovative. Their chemistry as a group had never been better and even Kurt and the Warblers congratulated them on winning before the winners were announced. Rachel told Finn before the competition to listen carefully to the words of "Get It Right" because she was singing it to him. Noah overheard her telling him this and smiled to himself. He knew the meaning of the song better than anyone and he knew it was her way of finally moving on.

The crowd had cleared out and all the pictures were taken. Rachel was sitting at the front of the stage watching Finn and Quinn walk out of the auditorium together. A tear escaped from the corner of her eye and she started searching her purse for a tissue. Mr. Schue saw her and came up and sat down next to her.

"Rachel, I know how hard it is to watch Finn move on so quickly, but I want you to know that this is not the end of the world. Do you remember that speech I gave you when you had a crush on me?"

Rachel thought back to that day. She had that speech memorized. She contemplated the meaning of that speech. _I know it's not always easy for you, Rachel. And I know that there are some things about yourself that you think you'd like to change. But you should know that there's some boy out there who's going to like you for everything you are including those parts of you that even you don't like. Those are going to be the things he likes the most. _

"I remember that speech. It was a beautiful sentiment Mr. Schue. Your words gave me hope. I really thought that Finn was that boy you were talking about. That's why it hurts so much."

"Rachel, I know for a fact that Finn isn't that guy for you. He was always giving you a hard time about who you were, trying to change you. He always said that he loved you in spite of yourself, the guy who really loves you will love you because of those things that other people may find annoying or unattractive."

"I know I'm a tough person to get used to Mr. Schue. Do you really believe that there is someone out there who will love me just as I am?"

"I not only believe it, I know for a fact that there is someone who already loves you that way."

"You better not be talking about Jacob Ben Israel, because I will be forced to resort to violence again."

Will laughed and was glad that there was some humor coming through. "I'm going to tell you a story. I'm going to ask two things of you though. One, please listen carefully to what I'm saying…and two, please don't interrupt me."

She was a bit surprised at the seriousness of his tone, but agreed. "Okay."

"I want you to know what I see in regards to this special guy who is out there waiting for you. I see a guy who is misunderstood and judged too quickly and harshly by others, but once you get to know him, he's actually a really great guy who you can depend on. I see a guy who sang a song for you, just to prove that he had leading man potential because he knows how important that is to you. I see a guy who took a slushie in the face for you, yet still chose you over football, knowing full well that his popularity would take a huge hit. I see a guy who didn't even get mad at you for spilling a big secret that wasn't yours to tell and that completely turned his world upside down. You don't know this, but he took the Glist off your locker because he knew it would hurt you. He agreed to go along with and perform that awful song, 'Run Joey Run' just because you asked him to. He notices when you don't show up for rehearsal and feared that you would leave the group to be with your mother. He was the first to jump to your defense when you got egged by Jessie and the rest of Vocal Adrenaline. He likes your fiery side and even likes to tease you and rile you up to bring it out. He's not afraid to tell you when he thinks you're wrong or when he thinks you're selling yourself short. He was the first to jump to your defense when the whole group was turning on you in the green room at Sectionals. He sang a duet with you just so you wouldn't feel bad about yourself and take all the blame for your breakup with Finn. He worked hard to get everyone to go to the party at your house and when you needed him most to write the songs for this competition, he not only helped you, but made sure that you got all the credit. He can keep up with you and challenges you to be even better than you already are and I've never once seen him make you feel bad about yourself. Now, I don't know about you, but if there was a woman who loved and cared about me even a fraction as much as this guy cares about and loves you, I would grab onto her and never let her go."

Rachel was stunned into silence. The signs were right in front of her this whole time and she was too blinded by her obsession with Finn to see them. Now that Mr. Schue pointed all these things out, she felt a bit foolish that she hadn't seen it all along. The hurt she was feeling about her breakup with Finn was starting to slip away. Will could see that she was still reeling and in a state of disbelief so he continued on.

"Do you want to know what I see in you around him?" She nodded, so he continued. "In you I see a girl who is more lighthearted and confident in herself. I see a girl who is much more likable and approachable. You have this glow about you, an unmistakable radiance that outshines any insecurity or vulnerability that you may have and I can tell that you feel safe with him and that you trust him. When everyone else had written him off as a screw up, you were concerned about him. You run to him whenever you have a problem that you can't solve on your own. During your duet, the chemistry between you two was so apparent and you were lost in your own world with him that I'm surprised you even knew there were 20 other people in the room with you guys. You let all your defense mechanisms down when you're around him, and you also jumped to his defense when the football players made fun of him after your song. I've never seen you that wildly passionate about anything or anyone else. You're willing to fight for him, and you don't even condone violence. You're funny, caring, and kind…Rachel, you're the best version of yourself that I've ever seen when you're around him."

"Do you really think so?" There was no more hurt in her heart, in its place were hope and excitement.

"I know so."

"I have to go find him."

"I think he's still backstage packing up the sheet music and his guitars." He couldn't help smiling, knowing that things were about to change for the better for everyone, especially the glee club. With Rachel and Puck leading the way, they had a real shot at winning Nationals.

Rachel moved like a bullet looking for him. She found him in the green room, checking all corners of the room to make sure that no one had forgotten anything. "Noah, I'm so glad I caught you before you left. I have something very important to ask you."

The intensity in her eyes was a bit fierce, but he knew that look. She wanted something and she wasn't leaving until she got it.

"'Sup Berry?"

He knew that irritated her. "Noah, what did I tell you about that greeting? You know it's not proper and you don't want to give people the wrong impression about you…"

He chuckled to himself. He loved it when he could wind her up to the point of rambling. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes, not caring if he cut her off. "You wanted to ask me something important?"

"Oh right, right. Well, what I wanted to ask you was…well, I was just wondering…"

She was back to the rambling except this time she going on and on in half-spoken sentences or questions or whatever. "Rachel, slow down and take a deep breath. I'm not going anywhere."

That calmed her down a lot. "I wanted to ask you if you're really serious about Lauren. I want the truth though."

She finally figured it out. He couldn't lie to her, not when she specifically asked him for the truth like this. "I'm not in love with her or anything like that. I just acted like it because I needed to make sure I didn't mess anything up."

"Mess what up?"

"Mess up my chances with another girl down the road. See, this girl that I like isn't really available at the moment, I mean, she's single, but I don't think she's emotionally ready for a relationship. I know myself, if I don't have anything to focus on, I might do something that would mess up my chances with her. I knew that Lauren would be a challenge so focusing my efforts on her ensured that I would be kept busy and out of this girl's way."

He really did love her. Puck wouldn't have cared and would have gone after her without a second thought just because he wanted her. With her he was Noah, a really great guy with an edge to keep him interesting. Even now, being honest with her without telling her the specifics, he was still protecting her because he still felt that she wasn't ready for what he was offering.

"What if I told you that I had it on good authority that she is ready?"

She looked up at him and could see that he was happy, yet still cautious about taking the step forward, so she did it for both of them. She put her hands on the sides of his face and pulled him toward her for their first real kiss. He was afraid that he was going to lose his balance because his legs and arms felt like jelly, so he tightened his grip on her. He couldn't believe what was happening right now. He had dreamed of this moment, but never once did he dream that she would be the one to make the first move.

Fireworks weren't big enough to describe what was going on in Rachel's mind and heart right now. The passion was so intense it felt like she was on fire, but it was the kind of fire that you hold on to for survival. She knew for the rest of her life that she didn't want to go a single day without feeling the passion of his kisses.

Their fire seemed to consume all the oxygen in the room and they pulled apart so they could breathe. He rested his forehead against hers and asked, "What made you realize?"

"Believe it or not, it was Mr. Schue. It turns out he's been watching us for a while now and decided that it was the perfect time to point it out."

When Mr. Schue said that he owed Noah one for getting Lauren to join the club, he never expected that it would be this. He noticed the glint of her necklace and placed the charm on his fingers so that he could look at it. It was the celibacy club swag that everyone was sporting. "Does this mean that I get the key to your heart?" He couldn't wipe that cheesy smile off his face.

"Oh Noah, you didn't need the key…you picked that lock a long time ago."

He put his arm around her as they walked out towards his car. "I guess I better get to work on that lock on your belt."


End file.
